Death Within
by Latente
Summary: With Sharia gone AWOL, Thrax and Osmosis team up to try to find her while she gets to grip with her virus side. But a new virus enters Frank and all hell breaks loose... Sequel to 'Burning Up'. Second story so I hope you enjoy it.
1. Brought Home

Sharia held her head, hissing as it flared in pain. Leaving her apartment hadn't been the smartest idea she ever had. She sighed, wondering along the dark streets of Frank. Turning a corner, she noticed a small germ walking, its tail dragging on the ground. Feeling sympathy for it, she walked forward.

"Are you ok?" She asked quietly. The germ turned and glowered at her with cold, steel grey eyes. The germ, which was obviously male, twitched his tail in threateningly.

"Why are you askin' me?" He asked. His voice was like a child's except with a menacing growl to it. "After all, you're just one of those bloody white blood cells that give me and my mates a prison sentence." He walked away, unaware of Sharia's change in appearance. Her eyes had turned from a soft violet to a bright green and her skin had darkened to nearly black.

"I'm not a white blood cell," The virus Sharia growled. "I'm something completely different." She leapt forward, her right hand clutching the germs throat, squeezing it until the germ turned a startling orange from lack of breath. Laughing, she raised her left hand, revealing a long claw that was already glowing a malicious toxic green. "See this," She chuckled. "I've used this to impale several of your kind. You won't be an exception." In one swift movement, what used to be the germs midriff was now a bubbling pit which spat small pieces of a bright green substance. The germ screamed, the piercing noise sounding like music to the half-virus, half-white blood cell. She smirked, pulling her gore stained claw from the germ, watching it as it writhed in agony. Licking the filth off her claw, she carried on walking down the street, enjoying being let loose after so much time inside the deepest corner of Sharia's brain. A sudden wave of nausea over took her and once again, the purple skinned Sharia was in control of herself once again.

She sighed, knowing that she might have to kill herself since her virus side had been going wild lately. She walked around another corner only to bump into a tall person wearing a black trench coat. She looked at him through her hair and saw Thrax standing there, his eyes empty. Since her days on the street had been rough, her clothes were grubby and hardly recognisable. The tall red skinned virus looked down at her, seeing that it was just a homeless white blood cell. He growled and shoved past her, not seeing the relief on her face as he walked by. Sharia breathed out a sigh of relief and carried on walking, this time increasing her pace to reach her appointed destination quicker. Once she had arrived, she leaned against a wall, waiting. As a lone figure walked into the alley, she dipped her head, nodding at the person.

"Have you got the item?" She asked. The figure nodded, already knowing not to get on her bad side. "Good. Now, I'll give you your payment as soon as it is handed over." The small, quiet person handed her a long tube contained a luminous liquid. Sharia inspected it and nodded, pleased at the quality. Digging into her pocket, she gave the person a large handful of money. "Now go get yourself something to eat and get a good life." The person looked at their hands, eyes wide, before nodding and hurrying off down the alley. Unstopping the tube, Sharia poured some of the liquid onto her hand, rolling it around until it was nearly solid. Holding it between her finger and thumb, she stared at it, wondering whether to do what she had been intending to do. Raising her hand to her mouth, she quickly gulped the small liquid/solid green thing down, feeling it take instant effect as a wave of drowsiness fell over her. She smiled and sank to the floor, letting the inevitable oblivion drag her into its folds. Before she completely blacked out, she saw a tall figure pass the alley, clutching a chain in their right hand...

Osmosis Jones leaned back in his chair, reading a file about how Sharia was missing. He beetled his brow, seeing the picture of what seemed to be a puddle of germ which was a bright toxic green colour. Standing up, he strolled over to Drix, showing the picture to him.

"What do you think, Drips?" He asked.

"For the last time Osmosis, it's Drix," The cold pill sighed. "I don't like the look of it. It looks too much like what Thrax did when he first came." He looked closely at the picture, noticing the buildings around the area and looking at the drops of liquid that were on the ground leading towards the dark alley way behind the puddle. A yell from the Chiefs office caught their attention.

"OSMOSIS, DRIX! IN MY OFFICE NOW!" Was all they heard. Ozzy sighed and plastered a fake smile on his face while inside he felt nerves gnaw at his nucleus. When he walked into the office, he ducked quickly as a pile of paper was thrown out of the door.

"What up, Chief?" He asked, his fake grin still in place. The chief looked at him from under black eyebrows, wondering whether or not to tell him about a new virus in the body.

"Jones," He began. "I'm lead to believe we have a new virus in Frank. And by the looks of it, a pretty damn dangerous one." Ozzy's good feeling slowly faded into pieces as he listened to the chief. His jaw dropped when he heard about a new virus. He let loose a long line of expletives and stalked out of the office, already planning where he might meet the virus. He looked at the picture with the puddle and nodded, memorising the buildings and where the trail led. He strode out of the police station, a purpose in his stride. As he walked over to his car, he noticed a small dark figure in the air in the distance. He smiled, knowing that Thrax was still looking.

The city fell away from beneath him as he rose into the air, rising on a thermal. Scanning the city with his piercing yellow eyes, he searched all the dark alleyways from the sky before landing in one of them. He looked around him, his claws at the ready in case he should run into any trouble. Striding along the alleyway, Thrax noticed a pool of toxic green liquid. He crouched down and looked at it, scanning it for any signs. Noticing the trail that led away from it, he followed, hoping it would lead him somewhere. He took a short cut through an alley and bumped into a white blood cell as he went round the corner. Seeing that it wasn't Sharia, (which it was) he growled and shoved past. After many an hour of searching, he turned back and walked past an alley with a sleeping body inside it.

"Where are you baby?" He murmured under his breath as he looked about. "You sure know how to hide." He began to pace, his footsteps silent. Turning his head, he heard laughter from the alley next to him. Stalking forward, he walked into the narrow alley, noticing some germs crowded around the sleeping person.

"Look at that beauty," One of them whistled. "Don't know how she got here."

"Yeah," Another one replied. "She should be in like, a fashion show or somethin'."

"Or she should be a beauty queen," The first one said. "She could certainly dazzle even the most toughest of the viruses." Thrax grinned at this, already knowing that he had a love.

"What beauty are ya'll talking about?" He asked, an eyebrow raised as he leaned against the wall. The germs turned and they both took a step back at seeing the tall, red skinned figure glaring down at them. As they parted, he felt as if he had been hit in the stomach as he saw Sharia lying against the wall, her head lolling forward. Without reacting, he whistled. "She is quite a beauty, ain't she?" He said. "Well now. You all better be going." He walked over to Sharia, making it look as if he was inspecting her. The germs didn't move. Instead, they walked forward, cracking their knuckles.

"Hey," The first one growled. "She's ours. We found her first." Without looking, Thrax grabbed the germs throat and held him against the wall, still gazing at Sharia.

"Actually," He growled, turning to face the terrified germ. "I do believe she is mine." Throwing the germ away, he picked the sleeping body up, striding out the alley way. Seeing a parked car, he quickly got into it, doing the same as he did to most of his hijacked vehicles. As he shot forward, he grinned to himself, glad that he had found her after so long. A low chuckle filled the car as he thought about what he had said only a few days ago. 'I would always catch you in the end.' Drifted through his head as he reflected at how he had acted. Pulling into the garage of his new home, he got out, carefully caring Sharia up the stairs and into his room where he lay her on his bed. Then he waited, like he had so many times...

When Sharia finally awoke, she looked at her opulent surroundings and frowned. She swore she had been in an alleyway when she fell unconscious. Looking to her right, she saw Thrax looking down at his lap, obviously reading a book. Gasping slightly as the liquid inside her woke her up properly, she noticed that the dark colour around his eyes was even darker than she remembered, a result of him searching for her endlessly. He looked out the corner of his eyes as he saw movement and immediately put down his book, scooping Sharia into his arms.

"Welcome home, baby..."


	2. Burakku Dokuso

In Thrax's arms, Sharia stayed stock still, her mind clouded over as she took this all in. She felt a nagging feeling in her stomach and with a shift shove, she pushed Thrax away as she felt her skin darken and her eyes change colour. Before she lost herself to the virus within, she looked at him, her eyes pleading and terrified. As terrible pain wracked her body, she bent over double until it was finished and she stood up straight, cracking her neck and looking at the virus opposite her with disdain.

"Careful," She grinned. "I'm contagious." Holding up her long claw, she looked at the green nimbus around it. "You know, this is awfully like yours don't you think?" Leaping forward, she slashed at him, only to find her wrist in Thrax's grip.

"Well baby," He smirked. "You better know that I'm the most contagious virus around here." He twisted her wrist until her arm was behind her back and in a painful position. "You better learn how quick and strong I am." He pulled on her arm slightly and she howled, the pain feeling as if her arm was going to be ripped from her body. The Red Death smiled with savage glee and kicked her in the back, enjoying making another virus feel weak. Pulling the other virus to their feet, he rested his head on her shoulder and whispered seductively. "You better let Sharia back in control otherwise you're gonna face a lot more pain. Got that?" The female virus whimpered and nodded, already their skin colour changing back to purple. Before her skin had changed back to normal, she slipped out of the Red Deaths grip, laughter rippling out of their chest.

"Do you really think I was gonna go sulk back in the corner or Sharia's pitiful mind?" She snarled. "I'm gonna get myself in the medical books, just like how you used to want to. Everyone will soon know the name 'Burakku Dokuso." And with that, she leapt out of the window, her deep blue hair trailing behind her. When she landed, she sprinted away, looking over her shoulder and laughing at Thrax's empty face. Once she was out of view, she walked along the path by the street, her features changing until she was practically completely virus. Her dark purple clothes helped her blend into the background and her left hand had a dark plum coloured fingerless glove on it. Around her neck was a startling blue necklace with half a theatre mask on it, small blue gems studded into it. Her lips were nearly halfway between reasonably deep red and pink/purple colour. Her deep blue cloak flew out behind her whenever a car rushed past, giving her an almost dark angelic look.

One germ caught a glimpse of her and whistled. "That's one mighty fine looking girl over there." He said nudging his friend. The other germ nodded its head which was far too large for its body. They decided to follow her, silently mimicking all her movements. When they walked in front of her, virus Sharia carried on walking, completely ignoring them.

"Hey!" The first germ said. "I wanna talk to you!" He ran in front of her, only to find himself stumbling in front of a car. With a splat, he covered the front of the car and walls of the buildings around. The Burakku Dokuso virus smirked when the other germ walked in from of her. Grabbing them with her right hand, she threw them to the ground and promptly plunged her glowing green claw into its belly, causing to scream in pain and terror as it's insides melted. She walked away, already brushing the green gloop off her hand. She turned round a corner and saw Osmosis Jones walking down the street, arguing with Drix about how they should patrol etc. Grinning, all of Sharia completely gone by then, she walked up to them.

"Hi, boys," She flirted. "Could you show a lost little girl like me around?" She batted her eyelashes to add effect but Ozzy just looked at her, already pulling his gun out.

"You ain't a virus are you?" He asked. "Cause if you are, then we're gonna have to arrest you." Virus Sharia raised an eyebrow.

"You think you're a tough guy, huh?" She asked. "Blow me away, sugar." She leapt up and grabbed the window ledge to one the buildings, using her momentum to climb up. She smirked at the cries of surprise beneath her. Hearing something whistling through the air towards her, she let her left hand slip away from the ledge, only for something freezing to crash into the wall. Hauling herself up onto the roof, she leaned against an air vent, waiting for the cop and cold pill to climb up. The soft breeze ruffled her cloak and hair and she dipped her head as she saw the two climb up, smiling sweetly.

"When you asked whether I was a virus or not," She said, her voice silky smooth yet hiding a daggers edge. "I'm the Burakku Dokuso virus. The Black Toxin. You better be careful baby. Might just find yourself intoxicated." Running her glowing index finger across the air vent, she grinned as it started melting with a hiss. Ozzy looked at the puddle of what was an air vent and he gasped.

"You!" He cried. "You killed that germ didn't you and left a green puddle. Drix, remember that picture?" Drix nodded and started towards the virus when suddenly, the Black Toxin went pale and fell to the ground, her skin changing from a very dark grey to a soft purple, her features reverting back to Sharia's. Ozzy ran over to her, trying to place all the pieces into his mind. Fishing out his phone, he dialled Thrax's number and told him where they were. Soon, the roar of Thrax's car could be heard beneath them. Climbing onto the roof, Thrax literally ran over to Sharia and immediately picked her up, jumping off the roof and landing softly on the pavement below. He placed her in the car and returned to his home for the second time that day.

When Sharia awoke, she sighed as she found she was in bed. Again. Thrax looked at her as he sorted out a drink.

"I see you're awake," He said, his velvety voice cutting through the silence. "Try not to kill me this time." He walked back and handed her a small cup of warm liquid. She drank greedily, sighing in relief as she felt herself relax.

"I'm sorry," She murmured. "The virus within, as I like to call it, is sort of growing stronger." Looking out the window, she remembered as clear as crystal how she had jumped out the window and ran away. "I don't know if I can live much longer with this..." Was all she said after that.


	3. Capturing Ebony

A saliva boat was floating inside Frank's mouth, the cells onboard doing their daily job of clearing up pieces of chewed food. One of them was talking away about how there was a new virus stalking around Frank.

"I tell ya, Joe," One of them said. "They've got glowing green eyes and massive fangs coming out of their upper jaw. Their toes are clawed and when they walk it makes a clicking sound. I saw them once and they scared the spit out of me." There was a muffled snort on the other side of the piece of food currently being cleaned.

"Seriously, Mike?" Joe asked. "I know some viruses look like that but there hasn't been one since the new mayor was elected. Well, there has been one but he's on our side now. Still don't trust him mind you since he killed Frank and... What was that?" In the distance, a shadow flitted across the gum line, darting into the shadows. "Did you see that? I thought I saw someone running along the gum line." Mike shook his head and returned to the prow of the boat, placing his backpack and gun down on the floor of the boat. He rolled his shoulders, getting any cramps out. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow flit between shadows but he dismissed it as a trick of the light. Turning back to pick up his things, he felt something land behind him and he turned, only to see his doom flying through the air towards him. He gave one bloodcurdling shriek and then all was silent.

"Mike?" Joe looked around. "Are you ok? Mike?" He got to the front of the boat and saw a puddle of bubbling green goo. "HOLY SPIT!" He exclaimed. Turning round he dashed back to the main cabin of the boat and quickly picked up the radio, almost yelling into it as he reported the scene on the boat. Once he was finished, he sighed and turned round, only to see a tall dark figure in the doorway.

"So," They said. Their voice had a lazy southern drawl to it. "This is the famous Frank Detorre that survived the Red Death." They snorted and shoved the cell away, grabbing the radio. Memorising the other cells voice, he spoke into the radio in a perfect copy of the cells voice.

"So sorry to bother you again," He said. "But it seems as if it was just a germ that caused the incident. I managed to suck it up so it should be fine." He placed the radio back and grinned maliciously at the remaining cell. "As for you..." He quickly grabbed them and in with one swift jab, had them on the floor screaming in agony as their skin and insides melted. Taking up the wheel of the boat, he steered it down Frank's gullet, entering just like Thrax did except he pushed the boat to the limit of its speed, hurtling down the vast hole of Franks throat. They smiled to themselves.

"I'm coming back for ya, girl..." He chuckled.

Sharia looked at the TV with interest, leaning forward with a look of intense interest on her face. A reporter was standing beside the remains of a crashed saliva boat. There were emergency vehicles everywhere, cells being wheeled away on stretchers to ambulances and the like. The reporter was speaking to the camera with a frown on their face.

"_The incident happened just one hour ago. Authorities are trying to asses who was on the boat before it crashed. So far all the evidence points towards the cleaner cells onboard being attacked and when they tried to defend themselves, they had accidently crashed the boat. The police have only found two packs from the cells and two small puddles of a green substance on the prow and in the main cabin._" The camera view changed to two small puddles of green liquid. "_People are saying they saw a dark figure jump off the boat before it crashed and that they landed in an alley. But when the people looked, there was no sign of anyone. This is Molly reporting for Frank News._" And with that, the news report ended. Sharia gazed off into the distance, knowing that only one type of virus could've caused that damage. Thrax strolled in, reading the newspaper and shaking his head at the story on the front page.

"I can't believe this," He snorted. "Saliva boats are gettin' more out of control. And I know that only really bad germs or viruses could cause this sort of damage... Hey baby, are you alright?" Sharia had a vacant look on her face and she half turned towards Thrax still gazing out the window.

"I think there might be another virus in Frank," She muttered. "And it's the same one that infected me." She felt a rush of sudden pain but she fought it back wincing slightly. "I do believe he's come back to collect his little 'experiment'" She spat out the word 'experiment', hating being called an experiment by the person who had ruined her life. Thrax froze, knowing what this meant. Grabbing his coat, he shrugged into it and also grabbed Sharia's coat.

"We're going to that boat crash," He said. "To see if we can get that damn virus." Sharia nodded, knowing that she might die or she might find redemption. Either way, she wasn't going to lose Thrax again. Not after the times she didn't want to remember. A cold fire lit up her eyes and she jumped onto her bike instead of going into Thrax's car. When he shot a quizzical look at her, she shrugged and put her helmet on, the engine already growling to life beneath her. Shooting out of the garage, she sped towards the scene, getting there first to see if she could lure the virus out. When she arrived, she gagged slightly at the stink that pervaded the area. The smell of burnt buildings and burnt corpses filled the air, the reek coming from the main crash. Parking her bike she leant against the wall of a building, waiting for Thrax.

When he did arrive, he had the same reaction as Sharia to the smell.

"Phew," He muttered. "What a stink." He looked at Sharia and nodded, already heading down the closest alleyway while Sharia went ahead. Looking around, she noticed small drops of bright green liquid spread on the walls, mainly going in one direction. Forward. Rounding a corner, she heard a low chuckle fill the alley. That wasn't Thrax's laugh. She span round, her hair flying around her face, her nerves on edge. Turning back around, she looked up so see a dark figure crouched on the roof of a building.

"Well, well, well," They drawled, their voice already annoying Sharia. "It seems the professor meets his experiment." With another chuckle, he jumped down, his dark cape flowing around him like water. Standing up, he looked at Sharia, with greedy, bright green eyes. Walking around her, he looked at her, as if expecting her virus side to suddenly leap out at him. He pouted, disappointed. With his back turned to where Thrax was, the Red Death virus silently crept up behind him, his claw already glowing. Grabbing the other virus by the neck, he smirked.

"We meet again Ebony," He growled, shoving him away. "I thought you would've out grown your ridiculous accent." Ebony snarled and leapt forward, his long claws going for the other virus's throat. Stepping to the side, Thrax brought his elbow down and hit the dark virus on the back, sending them sprawling on the ground. "Besides," He gloated. "I've always been better at combat than you." He kicked him, the wind rushing out of Ebony with an "_Oof!_". Getting to his feet, the Black Toxin virus glared at the two of them, noticing how close they were. Backing away, he bumped right into Drix, who stood and looked down at the virus as if he was a fly that had splattered all over his chest plate. Ebony looked up and laughed nervously as Drix easily grabbed him round his neck, letting Osmosis, who had appeared by the cold pills side, place the handcuffs on.

"Nice idea about luring him out with Sharia," Drix said, looking over at Thrax. "Have the two of you met before? You seemed to know each other."

"We have met," Thrax nodded, looking at the other virus in disgust. "He was the worst in class. He didn't even have the guts to kill his first human. He ain't got the right personality to be a deadly virus." He folded his arms, the look of disgust on his face evident. Sharia looked at the darker virus for a second longer before walking back to her bike with Thrax's arm round her shoulders.

**Ok, for people who can't picture virus Sharia got to my deviantART profile, BurakkuDokuso, and look at the only picture there. :)**


	4. The Doppleganger

They arrived back at Thrax's home and promptly fell into silence, both of them in deep thought. Sharia looked out the window, her thoughts whizzing round her nucleus at alarming speeds, making her feel slightly dizzy. Standing up, she disappeared into the kitchen, turning the radio on so the song 'Blow Me Away' played softly in the background. Looking into the fridge, she grabbed a packet of her favourite chocolate and she strolled back to the living room, plonking herself down on the chaise lounge. Humming along with the song, she placed part of the chocolate in her mouth, feeling it melt on her tongue. Breaking off a piece, she offered Thrax a bit but he shook his head, too tense to eat. Sharia felt her phone buzz at her hip and she looked at the caller, seeing that it was Ozzy.

"Hi Ozzy," She greeted but she quickly held the phone away from her as she heard a crash close to the phone. "What the spit is happening there?" She asked.

"Only Ebony giving us some trouble," Ozzy replied, his voice tight. "Nothing we can't handle but I would like to know what cell to keep him in. An inflammable cell or a normal one?" Sharia considered for a moment, then asked Thrax. The virus said it would be best to put him in the inflammable cell.

"The inflammable one would be best, according to the professional," Sharia said. "I could always come to see if I could help you. It would only take a minute or two to get there." Another crash sounded in the background only this time, a long line of expletives where brandied about. "That's it." Sharia said to no-one in particular. "I'm going there to sort him out." She hung up, placing her jacket on and grabbing the gun from the kitchen counter. Thrax grabbed her arm before she could get out of the room.

"Are you sure you want to go alone baby?" He asked. "I could always drive you there." Sharia looked at him for a moment and slowly nodded.

"Get your coat," She smiled. "Drive me to the scene, butler." She waved her hand in a posh gesture that matched her posh accent. Thrax laughed and quickly kissed her on the cheek. Walking down to the car, they both got in, already on the road by the time they strapped themselves in. They arrived at the police station in under five minutes, a record for travelling through the city traffic. They strode in, everyone giving them strange glances as they walked towards the cells. Once they arrived, Sharia stopped and gawped at the damage caused. The walls had deep scratch marks on them and the ground wasn't its usual sheen. It was scuffed and had some deep score marks, just like the wall.

Thrax whistled quietly. "Whoa," He muttered. "Didn't think he could cause so much damage." Rounding a corner, they saw Ozzy and Drix aiming their guns at Ebony who was standing in the cell, chuckling deeply. When he lifted his head up and saw Sharia and Thrax, he threw back his head and roared in laughter, as if the four cells before him were doing a comedy. Striding forward, skin tone changing from purple to dark grey and finally to black, Sharia stood in front of the virus, her hand raised. Quickly bringing it down, she slapped him, cutting his cheek but still he laughed. Growling, she brought her other hand down in a fist, knocking a few teeth out. That seemed to sober Ebony and he stopped laughing, his tongue feeling around where his lost teeth used to be.

"Damn girl," He snarled. "You hit hard. You made me lose my millionaire smile." He lunged forward, but Sharia stepped out the way, he foot stuck out so he tripped. Sighing, her skin changed back to its normal soft purple. Silently walking forward, she crouched down beside him and whispered in his ear.

"Tell me how to control my virus side and I'll make the police banish you," She murmured. "That way, you don't get killed. But if you don't, I'll happily let Thrax rip your throat out." Ebony paled at the mention of Thrax and he quickly nodded his head.

"Fine, I'll tell you," He gulped. "You've gotta think about the virus as a sphere of power, like a bullet. When you want to use it, pull the trigger and BAM! You're in control of your virus side. To change back is simple. Just think of your original self." He looked at her with hope in his eyes. "Don't let _him_ kill me." Sharia stood up and grinned, a dark hint to her features.

"Ozzy," She said, her voice perfectly calm. "Take this little piece of scum to the chief and tell him to banish him. But," She stopped. "Let him come back to me before he is officially banished." She strode out of the cells, the beginnings of a plan working themselves out in her head.

"You've got a plan," Thrax said, an eyebrow raised. "What is it?" She looked at him and winked, keeping it secret. When they came into the lobby, they froze. No one was there. What was a place with several germs and cells alike were waiting was now as empty as an abandoned asylum. A few pieces of paper ruffled from the faint breeze coming in through the open window. Glancing about, they noticed several items strewn about the place as if the place had been ambushed. Sharia, still shocked at how quiet it was, quietly walked over to the desk to find a small note written in a flowing script.

_Dear Sharia and friends_

_I see you fell for my doppelganger. Such a rookie mistake. As you have probably already guessed, I am on my way to the hypothalamus gland. And Sharia, what the doppelganger told you is complete nonsense._

_Your dear virus,_

_Ebony_

Sharia stared at the note, eyes wide. After a moment of silence, Thrax growled and stormed out of the police station, muttering curses under his breath. Hurrying after him, Sharia grabbed his arm, holding it in a firm grip, telling him to think this through. He sighed, realising she was right. They sat down, chatting about what they could do when Ozzy and Drix ran into the lobby, covered in what appeared to be horrible dark grey gloop. The look on their faces obviously told Thrax and Sharia about the chief.

"We know," She said. "That was a doppelganger and not the real Ebony. He's as cunning as a fox from the looks of it now."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ozzy nearly yelled at Thrax. "It would've been handy to know we had a bloody cunning and psychotic virus and not just a virus that didn't have the guts to kill!" He huffed and sat down, arms tightly folded. Drix stayed standing (or rather floating) while he thought about the current situation. Grabbing the note from the desk, Sharia handed it to him, letting him read it.

"Obviously we need to go to the hypothalamus," He said. "But he will be expecting us. How about we block all the entrances to the hall. There are only two so it would be easy to block his escape." Everyone nodded at the idea. Ozzy reached down to his phone and quickly called other police forces and told them to meet him, Drix, Sharia and Thrax at the Cerebellum hall. Getting into the car, Sharia and Thrax shot off towards the brain, the car trailing flame coloured exhaust. They reached the brain before the others and Sharia quickly jabbed the lift button to go up, flashing her pass at the security guard by the elevator. They waited for the others while discussing the note from Ebony.

"Why would he tell us where he was?" Thrax questioned. "Maybe he wanted us to get a large force so he could take us all out and escape easily."

"Or perhaps," Sharia said in a low voice. "He wanted us here before the others..." She raised one trembling finger and pointed at the dark figure walking towards them.

"Well you certainly fell for my trap as easily as a moth is attracted to a flame." Ebony said as he stalked towards them.

**Introducing doppelgangers. Yes, Ebony can create copies of himself and all will be revealed in chapter 6.**


	5. You again?

Osmosis and Drix sat in the car, speeding along the highway and earning some angry honks. After many an angry horn later, Ozzy eventually put the blues n' tunes on, letting everyone know it was an emergency. They soon arrived and they ducked into the elevator with several officers from the other police stations squeezing inside the cramped space. When the lift door opened, they froze seeing Sharia in Ebony's grip and Thrax on the ground, groaning and clutching a broken rib. Sharia was desperately trying to break free, thrashing about, landing several blows on the virus behind her that didn't even flinch. After seeing that it was futile, she took and deep breath and slipped out of his grasp by reforming her shape. It wasn't the most pleasant experience but it had to be done. Sprinting over to Thrax, she kneeled beside him, murmuring words to him that seemed to relax him.

Turning back to Ebony, she glared at him, her skin already changing colour. He smiled, knowing what was happening. He held his arms wide.

"That's it," He crooned. "Let the virus run free." What he didn't expect though, was the punch that knocked out more of his teeth. He stumbled back, his eyes wide. Looking back, he saw her claw glowing a dangerous green as she advanced towards him, all sensibility gone. She kicked his knee, grinning maliciously as it snapped under the impact and as he lay on the ground, she kicked him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Crouching down, she held her claw close to his face.

"Blow me away, sugar," She said and ran her claw along his throat, the cut already beginning to melt away into a green puddle. Ebony looked at his creation and screamed, the high, shrill sound echoing around the vast chamber. He clawed at his throat, only managing to spread the toxic substance to his hands were it promptly started eating them as well. He crawled towards Sharia, pleading.

"Help me..." He gurgled. "Save me!" That was the last thing he said. Bringing her boot up, Sharia brought it down on his throat, crushing it and his air supply. Standing straight, she brushed her hair back, flicking gore off her shoulder. Already changing back, she smiled to herself as she realised that she could change back and forth, finally. Quickly walking back to Thrax, she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he sat up, hissing in pain.

"Ebony..." He gasped. "What happened to that piece of no good virus?" Sharia pointed over her shoulder towards the rapidly widening pool of bubbling green goo. Thrax grinned shakily but it fell off his face as he felt around his ribcage, feeling several ribs twinge under his touch. "Spit, that guy sure can kick ribs in." He growled. Slowly standing up, he limped towards the elevator, wanting to be somewhere other than in front of Jones. Sharia hurried after him, placing his arm on her shoulder, giving him as much support as she could.

"Take it slowly, Thrax," She cautioned. "You don't want to break anymore by falling down the stairs or tripping over anything." He nodded and slowed down, his right leg trailing slightly. As they exited the brain, Sharia carefully laid Thrax on the backseat of his car, letting him relax. As she climbed into the driver's seat, she looked at the rear view mirror, checking to see if Thrax was ok. Pulling out onto the road, she headed back towards his apartment, already knowing the route by heart. Arriving at the house, she carefully supported Thrax as they climbed the stairs, telling him to use his left leg, his good leg, to climb up the stairs instead of his bad leg. He rolled his eyes.

"You're like a nurse fussin' over me," He complained. "Just gimme a break alright?" Sharia raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. They reached the living room but instead of laying him on the couch, she carried onto the bedroom and put him on his bed instead. Taking off his coat and grey turtle neck carefully, she looked at the mottled red mess that was now the right side of his chest. If he didn't have all the bruises and broken ribs then it would've looked hot and sexy but Sharia pushed those thoughts out her mind, determined not to lose her focus.

"Hold still for a moment," She scolded. "I can't wrap any bandages around you if you keep moving." Thrax rolled his eyes but did as he was told, trying not to fidget too much as Sharia applied the bandages. Once she was done, both of them finally relaxed. Sharia let out the breath she had been holding since sorting out Thrax, resting her head in her hands. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and she looked over her shoulder, seeing his yellow eyes looking at her caringly. Smiling shakily, she placed a hand on his, for the first time realising how hot it was. She frowned, feeling his forehead.

"Are you always so hot?" She asked. "You're boiling." He grinned, winking at her.

"I'm always hot for you," He said, the roguish glint in his eyes yet again. She blushed and he chuckled slightly, leaning back onto the bed. "To answer your question truthfully, I am always as you say, boiling. I'm a deadly fever so you'd expect it wouldn't you?" She nodded, understanding perfectly.

"You better get some rest," She stood up, clearing the bandages up. "It'll take time for the ribs to heal so I suggest that you sleep as much as you can." He nodded but smiled slightly. "Why are you smiling?" She asked suspiciously.

"I heal a _lot_ quicker than normal cells," He chuckled at the look on her face. "I'm super virus aren't I?" Rolling her eyes she wandered out of the room, drifting around the house like a ghost with no goal. Eventually, she settled to making dinner. Looking about in the fridge showed her how Thrax had lived while they were looking for her. Takeaways and ready meals. Closing the fridge, she quickly wrote a note, leaving it on the bed stand where she knew he was going to find it.

Walking out into the street, she strolled along, enjoying being outside. She found a shop and bought several items, not only food but little trinkets that caught her eye. Little did she know, Thrax was in more danger than she thought...

A sound woke the Red Death. Faint scuffling could be heard in his living room and he propped himself up on his elbow, wondering if it was Sharia.

"Sharia?" He asked, his voice echoing slightly around the empty room. The scuffling stopped and he heard her faint voice.

"Yes?" She asked. "Are you alright? I'm just doing dinner." Thrax frowned. Sharia didn't speak in such a formal way. Holding his breath, he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, breathing out and then back in. He stood up, gasping slightly as his ribs moved slightly. Limping over to the door, he grabbed the door handled and turned it, opening the door to see Ebony standing in the longue, alive and well. Thrax's eyes widened slightly but that was soon replaced by a hard scowl.

"Well," He snarled. "We meet again you son of a bitch." Running forward, he tackled the other virus to the ground, clenching his eyes shut as his ribs protested, causing waves of pain to radiate outwards from one spot. They fell to the floor with an almighty crash, sending the smoked coffee table into the wall where it fractured into tiny pieces. Getting to his knees before Ebony could, Thrax quickly punched him, causing even more of his 'precious' teeth to fly out of his mouth.

"You two guys seem to love trying to get rid of my beautiful smile," He drawled, using his normal voice.

"Couldn't say I enjoy it," Thrax muttered, punching him again. Lifting his long index finger, he quickly brought it down, slicing Ebony's face. "Oh that's gonna leave a scar an' a half." He gloated. Elbowing him in the face, Thrax stood back up, clutching his ribs as they ground themselves back together. He finally stood up straight, clicking his neck just like he did when he first entered Frank. Lifting up his already glowing claw he smirked.

"Careful," He said, saying his normal catchphrase. "I'm contagious." He tapped Ebony on his shoulder, smiling grimly as angry, orange boils spread across his skin (plasma, whatever), standing in sharp contrast against his dark skin. Before he screamed in pain, Thrax clamped his mouth shut. "You might want to be quiet. We don't want you summoning another doppelganger." Ebony looked at Thrax's merciless eyes with his own wide ones, terrified of his coming death. Leaning close to his ear, the Red Death murmured. "Cya on the flip side." And finally, the Burakku Dokuso virus burst into flames, ending his life forever.

**Is Ebony really dead? Or have I written about him being alive once again? Find out in chapter 6 but before that. Sorry about the long wait for the other chapters. I've been preoccupied.**


	6. A Small backstory

Sharia strolled back into the apartment and called out that she was back. As she entered the living room, she dropped everything she was holding and ran to Thrax's room. Seeing him without bandages, she knew that what he said about healing quicker was true. Rushing over to him, she wrapped her arms around him.

"What happened?" She asked. Thrax pointed to the small scorch mark on the carpet. She looked over at it and noticed something on the ground beside it. Frowning, she knelt beside the mark and picked up a small hypothalamus chain. Holding it in front of her, she studied it, noticing how it wasn't as long as Thrax's yet it seemed to be brighter and more full of beads.

"Seems he killed a lot more than I thought," Thrax said from behind her and she jumped slightly, causing him to chuckle. "Now I ain't here to make you jump baby but when you're tensed up... Damn you jump at anything." Sharia giggled slightly but carried on studying the chain, the blue colours changing from blue to purple, merging with each other. Standing up, she walked into the room that was apparently hers. Dumping the chain on her bed, she went back to the living room, several thoughts whizzing around her head.

"How can Ebony create doppelgangers?" She asked. "I mean one was good yeah but three? How do we know that he couldn't of made a fourth?" Thrax stared out the window, yellow eyes in deep thought.

"He couldn't," He said. "It ain't possible to make more than three. It's something we learned at virus school." Sharia breathed out a sigh of relief. Picking up her shopping stuff, she got a raised eyebrow from Thrax. Shrugging, she wandered into the kitchen and prepared some meal that had been stored in the recesses of her mind. She was cutting the cell equivalent of lettuce when she heard Thrax yell in surprise. Clutching the knife, she ran into the living room to see the all too familiar face of Ebony looming above Thrax who was on the ground where he had been tripped up.

"You're coming with me girl," He growled, already starting towards her. Momentarily forgetting about the other virus, Thrax shot his hand out and grasped Ebony's ankle, causing him to fall. They grappled with each other for a while, Thrax giving Sharia enough time to change and Ebony was fighting for his life, knowing that he wasn't a doppelganger. Kicking Thrax off him, Ebony stood up, only to see Sharia, completely virus, standing in the doorway, a glowing green nimbus surrounding her claw. Only this time, she didn't just have one. She lifted her right hand to see a long glowing digit on that hand. Smirking, she turned her attention back to Ebony, laughing at look of horror on his face.

"What's the matter Ebony?" She mocked. "Scared of the girl who's knocking out your millionaires smile?" Leaping forward, she grabbed him with her left hand, allowing her claw to touch part of his skin but not to puncture it. Grinning manically, she plunged her right hand into his chest, just like he did all those years ago. His eyes opened impossibly wide as he gawped down at the hand in his chest. "This time," Sharia growled, twisting her hand inside him. "You die." Wrenching her hand out, she raked one claw across his face where it began bubbling and frothing, the toxic liquid burning down his face. Ebony screamed. The high pitched sound causing the windows to shatter and most car alarms to go off as it continued, unabated. As he writhed on the floor, Sharia slowly changed back, closing her eyes as she did so to stop the nausea.

Running over to Thrax, she saw that he didn't have any wounds this time and sighed, glad that it wasn't as bad as last time. Hearing a small tapping on the window, she looked over and saw a small germ frantically tapping at the window. Opening the window, she let the germ in, remembering it from her time on the streets. Thrax raised an eyebrow and picked himself up off the ground, striding over to them.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"Mōshiwakearimasenga senseidakedo, watashi wa eigo o rikai shite inai." The germ said, shaking it's head. Thrax had a confused look on his face and Sharia giggled quietly.

"He speaks Japanese," She said, nudging the tall red virus. "I'll speak to him. Anata no mawari aruite senotakai koi haiiro no hada no uirusu o mita koto ga arimasu ka? Wareware wa kare ga kare jishin no kurōn o tsukuru koto ga dekiru to omoimasu." When Thrax looked at her clueless, she sighed. "I asked him if he saw a tall dark grey skinned virus walking around. You know, Ebony. Just in case he's somehow made another doppelganger."

"Watashi wa kurayami no zu wa, watashi wa anata no u~indō o tappu shita riyū o anata no ie ni atta mado kara tobidashimashita." The germ replied.

"He says he saw a dark figure jump from our window. That's why he was tapping on the window." Sharia said, translating. "O tsugete itadaki, arigatōgozaimasu. Anata wa ima iku koto ga arimasu." The germ smiled and jumped back out of the window, landing with a thump.

"Well at least we know he's somehow created another clone," Thrax murmured. "I ain't got a clue for how he did it..." Looking back at Sharia, he smiled shakily before going into the kitchen, picking up a phone. He was just dialling a takeaway when Sharia gripped his hand, shaking her head.

"I'll cook us some dinner," She said, pointing towards the bags. "I got all that just for dinner and some little trinkets to brighten up this place." Placing the phone back for him, Sharia carried on cutting the lettuce she was cutting earlier, placing it to the side while she boiled some pasta. Once the pasta was done, she quickly cooked some bacon and placed it all in a large bowl, mixing them together with a spoon, jumbling them up until it was a pasta and salad dish. Grabbing some plates, she expertly placed equal amounts on both plates, handing the first one to Thrax with a fork.

"Dig in," She called over her should as he wandered into the living room. "I'll be there in a sec." Quietly picking up the phone again, she dialled Ozzy and told him about the whole situation. She expected to be yelled at or scolded but instead she was met with silence which scared her more than the scolding or the yelling.

"I think Ebony can be defeated," Ozzy said after a while. "We just need to get rid of his chain. Maybe throw it into a jar of alcohol the next time Frank's near alcohol since he's getting checkups more often. If I get some pollen pods and throw the chain when Frank sneezes, then that should solve the problem." Sharia nodded, guessing that he knew that she would agree. Saying quick goodbyes, she hung up, picking up her plate and sauntering into the living room, munching on some salad as she thought. She almost dropped her plate in surprise as she felt Thrax draped his arm around her shoulders.

"What are you thinking about, baby?" He asked into her ear. "I know when you're thinkin' cause you have a certain expression." He smiled as she blushed slightly. Holding up Ebony's chain, Thrax looked at the all the little blue lights noting how there were less than before.

"I have a feeling that Ebony's creating doppelgangers by using the beads in his chain," Sharia muttered with a mouthful of food. Swallowing, she continued; "Ozzy and I are gonna drop it into a jar of alcohol next time Frank's at the hospital and hopefully that'll stop him from popping back up." They looked at each other and nodded, grinning at how they both did it at the same time. Finishing her meal, Sharia went to her room and quickly changed into some clothes that were a little more skimpy. She wore a pale blue tank top with faded black jeans. Seeing that Thrax wasn't in the room, she wandered around, trying to find out where he disappeared off to, frowning all the while. When she finally found him, he was sitting on the roof, reclining in a beach chair with his trench coat and grey turtle neck hanging over the back of the chair. Trying to sneak up on him, Sharia was surprised when he didn't react when she grabbed his shoulders and nearly yelled 'boo' in his ear.

Looking down at him, she noticed a long scar down the right side of his face, tracing his jaw line until it ended around the point where his dreads started. Plonking herself down on the floor beside him, she held his hand, looking at his claws.

"So," She started casually. "Where did you get that scar on the side of your face?" She felt Thrax freeze and she chose her next words with care. "I just noticed it when I was standing beside you..." She didn't expect the kiss as soon as the words spilled out of her mouth. Her eyes widened until they half closed and she held his hand tighter, not wanting to let go. Ending the kiss, he looked at her, yellow eyes boring into hers.

"I got this pretty little thing," He said, pointing with his thumb towards his scar. "From our good friend Ebony. We met each other in a lab rat. Not a person. An actual rat. Anyway, he had just got rid of the rats immunity down at the feet and me and another virus met him. We became friends, yeah, but that was about to change. We got into an argument and Ebony went berserk, lashing out at me and my friend. Unfortunately, when he hit my friend, he did his little trick of lighting his claw up like a Christmas light." He sat there for a moment, silent as he remembered the female virus's screams as she felt herself melt and dissolve. "I slashed him across the face an' back. The one on his face he hides using his hair while the ones on his back he just wears clothes over." After hearing his story, Sharia lapsed into silence, reflecting about what he said.

"I guess it must be hard being you." She muttered.

**Since Sharia's virus form is in Japanese, I thought that a germ might as well talk in Japanese. I thought about adding a back story for Thrax after reading Osmosis Jones 2: The enemy is alive and well by DarkraixCressalia. Brilliant story btw. Will not be uploading chapters as much as I like since I'm moving so bear with me!**


	7. Abduction

Ebony sighed in relief as the Immunity sprinted past. Escaping that apartment had been hard enough but to get rid of a whole group of Immunity took skill. Carefully, peeking out of his hiding place, he looked about to see several germs sauntering down the alley, obviously thinking that they were the kings of the area. Stepping out in front of them, Ebony looked at them disdainfully, his emerald and amber eyes burning with a deep hatred for anything to do with germs. The smallest germ bumped into his legs, surprise flashing across its face as it looked up at the reasonably tall, dark figure. Smirking at the germs, the virus strode towards the end of the alley, his scuffed, black army boots hardly making a sound, despite the wet ground and the rubber on the soles of his boots.

Hearing the germs muttering amongst themselves, he grinned to himself as they started jogging to get to him. One of them grabbed his shoulder but he shrugged out of it, continuing on his way, taunting the germs slightly. He felt the punch coming towards him before he saw the fist at the corner of his vision. Quickly turning, he grabbed the fist shaking his head in disapproval.

"Didn't your mama teach you not to hit strangers?" He drawled, tilting his head to the side. Bringing the fist towards him, he swiftly brought his elbow down, grinning at the germ as he felt it's elbow shatter under the impact. Yowling in pain, the bright orange germ stumbled back, holding his now useless arm by his side. Seeing their leader hurt in this way, the others leapt forward, hoping to best the stranger with numbers. Ebony feinted to the right then brought his claw up gracefully before slashing downwards, cutting of appendages as his claw sailed through the air. Once the leader regained his wits, he shambled forward.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm looking for some volunteers to help me get revenge on a certain virus and hybrid," He smirked. "Any y'all interested?" The germs looked at each other, mumbling to themselves as the picked up lost arms or fingers. Hearing confusion spread amongst them, Ebony continued; "If you help, I can make y'all have as much sugar as you like from the liver. How 'bout that?" Hearing the mention of sugar, the germs snapped their heads up, instantly nodding. Seeing his goons agreeing, the leader slowly nodded his head, reluctant to hand over his leadership.

"Good," Ebony purred. "Now, let's get to work."

Michael relaxed into his chair, his hat tipping over his eyes slightly as he leaned his head against the chairs headrest. It was another boring day at the sugar bank, nothing except normal amounts of sugar coming in. This was how he liked it. As he was beginning to close his eyes, he heard a crash outside and a pained cry. Sitting bolt upright, he fumbled around his desks until he found the emergency button. Readying himself to press the button, he shivered as he saw a shadow pass over the window. Glancing towards the safe, he then turned his attention back to the door which burst open, several germs flooding in. A tall figure wearing a dark red and army green shirt was growling orders to them, occasionally threatening one. Depressing the button, Michael pulled out the pistol at his hip and aimed it shakily at the person in the doorway.

"If you could stop the germs, sir," He said, voice quivering. "If you don't stop them, I'll shoot, which I don't want to do." The figure turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. Striding over, he placed his clawed hands on the counter, staring straight at Michael's eyes.

"I don't think you'll shoot," He murmured, his southern accent sounding mildly threatening in the situation. "Now, you'll hand over the keys to the vault and everything'll be fine. Give me the keys." With trembling hands, the white blood cell gave Ebony the keys, eyes wide with fear. "Thank you," He smirked. "That'll be all. Time for your retirement." Quickly grabbing Michael, he punched his left hand through his midriff, grinning manically as he made his claw glow. Pulling it back out, he smiled as the cell slowly and painfully melted to the floor. Making sure his hair was still in its usual position, he strode towards the safe, plunging the key into the lock. The soft hiss announced that it was open and the germs flooded in, grabbing the sugar crystals greedily.

"Now y'all better make a good distraction and get the cops while I travel to another part. I'll come back for y'all once I'm done." Ebony lied, his voice ringing through the now empty vault. Stalking back out, he began walking towards the main road, planning to grab a car to make his journey easier. Holding out his left hand, he hooked out a blood cell and threw him into a small shed by the side of the road, locking the door. Getting into the car, he inserted his already glowing claw into the key slot, the toxic green glow already spreading. Changing from dull red, the car became a sleek black with toxic green paintwork. Spikes sprouted out of the side and roof, giving a punk-rock look. Grinning, Ebony gunned the accelerator, speeding down the road whilst a soft green trail was left behind.

He arrived at 'The Wart' on the hand, jumping out of his car and heading towards the night club, getting any germs nearby to join him. Arriving at the entrance, he felt a large beefy hand grip his shoulder.

"Hey," A gruff voice said from behind him. "Where's your pass?" Smiling, Ebony turned around and slashed the bouncer across the chest, the toxic green spreading in veins across its chest. Striding in, he smirked as most of the girls turned to look at him with gooey eyes. Entering a meeting room, he ordered several germs to get more people from the nightclub. Standing alone in the room, he stood there, gazing out at the party that was going on. His eyes scanned the crowd, making sure no white blood cells were there. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he turned back and sat in the large chair at the end of the table that dominated the room, making his hands form a bridge that he rested his head on. Several minutes later, a large group of germs shuffled in, murmuring greetings.

"Now," Ebony said, standing up. "I know y'all have heard about the virus called 'El Muerte Roja' and a female virus which calls herself 'Burakku Dokuso', which is the type of virus I am. I want to get the girl, not the Red Death. Kill him if you want, but don't harm the girl. She's mine." Striding around the room, he flicked a projector on and showed several clips of what they looked like. "I want to get the girl tonight and get my chain back so don't dawdle around like a bunch of brainless sheep." He placed both hands on the table, glowering at all of them to emphasise his point. "Don't even think of telling the Immunity of this." Standing up straight he pointed to the door and growled; "Now get out." All the germs eagerly headed towards the door, wanting to get out of there as quick as possible. Sitting back down in the large chair, Ebony smiled, his white teeth in startling contrast with his dark skin. Leaning back, he chuckled, the deep sound reverberating around the room eerily. Hearing a familiar laugh on the dance floor, he sat up and frowned, walking over to the window that looked out across the club. His frown slowly turned into a smirking grin as he saw who was dancing and talking to her friends.

"My luck just keeps getting better," He said to himself, already heading down to the stairs to the main dance floor.

Sharia giggled with her friends as she heard one particular story. She hadn't seen her friends for so long, it was good to be able to chat with them about normal things, things that didn't involve viruses wanting to kidnap her.

"Hey, Sharia," Sia called. "Have you heard about the latest gossip?"

"No," Sharia smiled, leaning forward. "Should I?"

"Your good old cousin, Osmosis, is apparently going to get married to Leah. Those two are like, made for each other."

"He never told me about that!" Sharia gasped, acting shocked. The others laughed at her mock surprise, forgetting how much she dramatised things. One of the girls turned her head and gawped slightly at the dark figure standing by the bar.

"Oh my God," She breathed. "Look at that hottie over there!" They all turned and Sharia froze when she saw Ebony motioning with his long claw for her to walk over.

"He's not asking for Sharia is he?" Clora asked, eyes widening. "You should go over to him." Hunching her shoulders, Sharia shook her head, looking at her drink. Biting her lip, she struggled to keep her virus side at bay, the viciousness of the virus within surprising her. Trembling, she felt small tears prick her eyes, causing her to scrunch her eyes shut. Opening them, she was shocked to see her fingers beginning to turn into claws. Pushing the virus down, she stood up, striding towards Ebony who was grinning from ear to ear. Leaning on the bar beside him, she kicked his leg, smirking as his grin faltered. Pretending to stretch, she 'accidently' slapped him across the face. Growling, Ebony harshly grabbed her arm, giving her a good excuse of hitting him without having to disguise it. She ducked under his punch and took his legs out from beneath him, kneeing him in the groin as he fell. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she was met with several surprised stares from other people at the bar. Raising an eyebrow, she let a tiny bit of virus flash in her eyes, causing the cells to look away. Walking back to her friends, they stared at her, open mouthed.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Clora asked.

"I've had a bad history with him." Sharia replied simply, not mentioning anything about her 'condition'.

"Tell us," Sia grinned. "I see gossip on the horizon."

"I'd rather not," Sharia mumbled, looking down.

"Tell!"

"No."

"TELL!"

"Fine! I give in," Sitting down, Sharia quickly sipped her drink, relaxing into the seat. "A few years ago, before Thrax entered, that guy over there infected me. He's a virus if you didn't already know. Anyway, since then, I've been living life normally, blissfully unaware of the toxin he had injected into me. Since being with Thrax, I've sort of gone 'virus' or ape as I usually put it." As she finished her short story, her friends gawped at her. Wait. Not at her but _behind_ her. Turning, she saw Ebony towering above her with a small smirk. Draping an arm on her shoulder, he looked at the other girls.

"Mind if we have a littl' alone time?" He drawled, using his best voice. The girls blushed and stood, walking towards another table where they sat down, already gossiping while sneaking glances at the virus and their friend. Ebony turned his emerald and amber gaze to Sharia who was glaring at him. With his arm still draped over her shoulder, he ushered her towards the exit, too focused on getting to his point to notice Sharia's change in appearance.

"You know Ebony," Virus Sharia mocked. "You've always been crap at paying attention." Sending a clawed fist in his direction, she smiled grimly as it connected with his face, causing him to stumble and for other cells there to clear a space for them. "Can't believe you thought you could get me to go on your side." Another punch hit him, sending him to the ground. "I can't believe you thought you could take me away from my life." She kicked him in the stomach, allowing her virus side to have a little fun. "Oh, and one more thing." She crouched down beside him. "You can _never_ take me away from Thrax." Grabbing his collar, she lifted him up and threw him across the dance floor where he crashed into the table where her friends had been sitting. The sound of surprised squealing could be heard and Sharia, smiled slightly, striding over to them, not bothering to change back.

"Sharia?" Sia asked, eyes wide.

"What?" Sharia shrugged. "He was trying to get me to go on his side so..." She shrugged again and then rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's me. You can all stop gawping at me now." All of the girls shut their mouths and grinned at her, chatter already being fired towards her. After a while, they heard a groan and they stopped chatting to watch Ebony pull himself up, grasping Sharia's arm as he staggered to his feet. Rolling her eyes, Sharia tugged her arm out of his grip, sending him stumbling slightly where he tripped over something and was sent onto the ground yet again. Laughing quietly, Sharia walked over and pulled him up, shoving him towards the bar.

"Sure you don't want another drink Ebony?" She asked mockingly. "You look like you're gonna tumble as soon as you take a step. Have something strong to sort you out."

"You bitch," Ebony mumbled, his words slightly slurred from hitting his head. Raising an eyebrow, Virus Sharia finally had him seated at the bar, leaving him to sort himself out. What she didn't expect however, was the clawed hand that strongly grasped her arm. Whipping around, she instantly relaxed as she saw Thrax smiling crookedly down at her. Turning back to her normal cell form, she wrapped her arms around him, swaying to the music slightly. From the table where her group of friends were sitting, she heard several 'Aws' and 'They're made for each other!' Rolling her eyes, she began to head for the exit when Thrax stopped, gazing over at the bar.

"Did he give you any trouble?" He asked, chuckling as he saw Ebony sway slightly as he stood up.

"He got what he had coming," Sharia said simply. As they walked outside, they heard the door behind them open and they turned to see Ebony stumbling out, obviously having been kicked out. Swearing at the nightclub staff under his breath, he walked straight into Thrax and Sharia, seeming to awake from a dream. He smirked slightly as he looked at Thrax straight in the eye, happy for once that he was pretty tall.

"Blimey!" The exclamation came from Sharia who was holding Ebony's wallet in her hands, whistling as she looked at the amount of money stored inside. "It seems our virus friend seems to have quite a bit of cash. Since he let me have it so kindly, I'll be taking it." Stuffing it into a pocket, she smiled sweetly at the dark virus who was glaring at her. Suddenly, Ebony's hand was around her throat and he was holding his long claw up to her throat, stroking it but not puncturing the surface. The move took Thrax by surprise but he soon snarled and leapt forward, grabbing the Burakku Dokuso's arm in one hand while sending a fist towards Ebony's face. Several white teeth flew out of his mouth and he groaned, losing more of his millionaire smile. Shooting his hand forward, he grabbed Sharia and, instead of taunting Thrax, he legged it, his long legs opening into a long stride as he sprinted towards his parked car. Shoving her inside, he grabbed his wallet from her pocket and got into the driver's side, revving the engine before shooting forward, pushing him back into the seat slightly. He drove along the highway at an alarming speed until he heard several sirens behind him. Swerving, he drove down an alleyway before appearing at the other end, pressing his foot down until he skidded to a stop outside an abandoned bunch of flats. Hopping out, he tugged Sharia out by her hair, causing a loud scream to escape from her throat.

"Shut up!" He snarled, covering her mouth. "You scream again and I'll slit open your pretty little neck, experiment or not." Dragging her towards the flats, Sharia noticed several germs appearing out of the shadows with a large bag being held by all of them. She was shoved towards the large bag until she tripped over the edge and tumbled in, hitting her head while falling, knocking her unconscious...


	8. Once and for all?

Sharia groaned, opening her eyes but quickly squinting as a bright light was pointed towards her.

"Yep," A voice said. "She's awake boss. What are ya planning to do anyway?" A growl sent the germ scurrying out, clutching its little hat as it did so. Groaning again, Sharia tried to sit up but she was pushed down by a pair of hands. Opening her eyes fully, she was just in time to see her arms and legs secured to a table, the metal cuffs fitting together with a _clunk_. Lifting her head, she looked at Ebony who was sitting in a large black leather armchair, leaning back in it comfortably, smirking at her with his white teeth which, as if by an unholy miracle, were all back in his mouth. Letting her head fall back on the table, Sharia licked her lips before she spoke, feeling that they were as dry as the Sahara Desert.

"Why the hell am I here?" She asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Why are you here?" Ebony chuckled, rising from his seat. "The reason you're here, darlin', is because, since you're my little experiment, I thought it would be good to see if you could be... '_Tamed_' in anyway." He walked around the table with his hands clasped behind his back, watching Sharia for any reactions with the words he was going to say. "While you were unconscious, I went an' had a little walk around town. I bumped into your cousin and his cold pill friend and since we were on thin ice, I killed them." Seeing no reaction from Sharia, Ebony frowned, tilting his head slightly. The silvery laugh that escaped Sharia's lips surprised the dark virus.

"Oh how bad a liar you are, Ebony," She laughed. "How could a weak virus like you kill a cold pill and a cop? You couldn't even beat up Thrax when he had broken ribs. You're weak." She carried on laughing until Ebony was suddenly by her side, holding her throat tightly, eyes burning. Sharia could see that despite being pretty tall, he wasn't at all lean. Several muscles on his arms rippled like water as he held her while through his shirt, several abs could be seen.

"Believe me, girl," He spat, pressing down harder on her throat. "I could kill you or Thrax if I put my mind to it." Lifting his hand, he stalked around the table, his mind trying to come up with ways on how he could either torture her or tame her. Eventually, he smirked as an idea came to mind. Placing his hands on the side of the table, he leaned on them, still smirking. "When you said I was a bad liar..." He looked at his long claw, making it seem as if he was disinterested in the subject. "I'll just have to show you how I _don't_ lie to my guests." Undoing the restraints around Sharia's arms and legs, he let her stand up but before she could throw a punch, kick him, jab him, poke him in the eye or all of the above, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her. Sharia froze as his lips met hers, alarm bells ringing in her head. She tried to push away but he held her firm, smirking slightly. Finally breaking the kiss, he looked at her.

"Now, if I said I would kiss you, would you think I was lyin'?" He asked. Shaking her head, Sharia still tried to pull away but he pulled her closer until her arms were crushed between them. "C'mon girl. Don't you have any room in your life for another man?" Kissing her again, he smirked again as she trembled slightly, his lips crushing hers. The virus within Sharia raged, wanting to be set free yet being withheld by invisible chains. Eyes widening slightly, she pushed Ebony away with a small hint of super strength, her skin darkening until all that was standing there was Virus Sharia, no trace of the normal Sharia left at all. Looking at Ebony, she raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips.

"What am I going to do with you, hmm?" She wondered aloud, walking around him. "I could kill you but where would the sport be in that? Maybe..." She sprang forward, grabbing his left hand before crushing her body against his, letting her lips mould around his, taking him by complete surprise. Chuckling slightly, he wrapped his right arm around her again, closing his eyes. The searing pain in his gut made his eyes flash open just in time to see Sharia raise both hands and bring them down in an 'X' shape. Pulling away, Ebony grunted in pain as the two claws raked themselves across his chest. _At least,_ He thought. _It wasn't my pretty littl' head._ Shoving her away, he was soon hard pressed to defend himself against her sudden assaults, the ferocity behind them astonishing him. Eventually, he had her on the ground, fixing her with a pointed glare as she smirked up at him.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, darlin'" He growled. "Now I wish I hadn't even bothered to do all this crap." Feeling her hands grip the back his head, he was pulled down until they were kissing again, Virus Sharia giggling slightly as he lifted her up until they were standing again. Reaching down to her waist, Ebony pulled her close to him yet again, but this time, it was closer than before.

"Damn girl," He said through the kiss. "You know how to kiss a guy."

Thrax watched the TV with sharp yellow eyes, watching it for any sign to see if they had found Sharia. Since her being kidnapped by Ebony, he'd sent the message to Osmosis who had then relayed it to the news and now they were broadcasting the story everywhere, interrupting programs or being put onto the large screens near the main highways. One particular report caught his attention and he leaned forward, listening intently to the reporter on screen.

"_Reports have been flooding in about seeing a large amount of germs near an abandoned block of flats next to the Achilles Tendon near the Feet. Several officers have been sent down but so far, none have returned. This is Richard reporting for Frank News._" Jumping to his feet, Thrax quickly turned the TV off and sprinted down to the garage, leaping into his car and crunching it into gear, shooting out of the already open garage door. Swerving through traffic, he soon saw the flats ahead, his eyes narrowing as he saw the large mob of germs outside. Skidding to a stop, he put his sunglasses on and climbed out, looming above any of the germs nearby. Striding towards the flats, he either shoved or killed any germs that got in his way, letting some of his old self come back as he killed another germ. Entering the building, he strode up the stairs, using his enhanced sense of smell to follow Sharia's scent. Stopping outside a door, he heard Ebony mutter something on the other side and Thrax growled, pushing the door open only to freeze at the sight before him. Sharia, or rather her virus self, was standing in Ebony's embrace, looking at him with fake adoring eyes to keep up the charade. Fury flaring, he launched himself forward, tackling Ebony to the ground while shoving Sharia away. Lifting his glowing claw, he was about to let it drop when it was grabbed by another hand. He looked up and saw, to his relief, normal Sharia holding his wrist, shaking her head. Glaring down at Ebony, he reluctantly got off, letting the other virus stand. Slipping behind the dark virus, Sharia quickly pulled out some handcuffs that she kept with her and secured them around Ebony's wrists.

"Score one for team Sharia and Thrax," She muttered. Pushing him towards Thrax, she laughed quietly as Ebony stumbled, shooting a hurt expression at her. Reaching the ground floor, Thrax tugged the Black Toxin towards his car, shoving him in the back before getting into the driver's seat. Seeing Sharia get in, he grinned, shooting towards the Uvula, a plan already forming in his head. Arriving, he pulled Ebony towards the lift, jabbing the top button and waiting as the lift glided up. The lift reached the top floor with a soft ping and it opened to reveal most of the Immunity of Frank standing there, watching the trio as they advanced to the open window. Fishing out a pollen pod, Thrax gave to Sharia.

"Why don't you do the honours?" He asked, smiling crookedly. Laughing, Sharia flicked her wrist and sent the pod soaring down Frank's throat where he sneezed. Before Ebony was sent flying out, he grinned savagely and grabbed Thrax and Sharia, pulling them with him as he flew out, landing on Frank's hand which had several nasty looking germs standing there. Staggering to her feet, Sharia glared at Ebony but she paled when she saw the germs looming over her, grinning maliciously as they advanced. Backing away, she stripped over something and crawled back, shooting a glance at Ebony who was standing with a smug grin on his face, his arms folded. Turning her gaze back to the germs, she just about managed to dodge the large fist that came soaring towards her. Growling, she pressed her hand down on the back of Frank's hand and back flipped to her feet, her skin already changing as she let the virus side come out to play.

"You really do _not_ want to mess with me," She snarled, showing her two glowing claws. "And I mean it." Leaping forward, she managed to kill two of them before four of them grasped her, two holding her arms while the other two grabbed her legs. She thrashed about trying to break free as she saw Ebony striding towards her, hand clasped behind his back. Peeking over his shoulder, she was appalled to see Thrax lying on the ground, still except for his chest moving up and down as he breathed, barely alive after having a great big wound slashed up his side. Still thrashing, she tilted her head back as Ebony leaned towards her, staring at her straight in the eye. He smirked and stood up straight, his hands still clasped behind his back. One of the germs whistled as they saw a long scar that extended down the middle of Sharia's neck, under her top and finally down her right leg.

"Whoa," They said. "You sure you want her, boss? She's kinda damaged..."

"To hell with her being damaged or not," Ebony snapped, switching moods as easily as turning a light switch. "I want her because she is _my_ experiment, not yours. Besides, I only hired you to help me in my plan to get her and kill the El Muerte Roja virus."

"Talking about hiring," Another germ said, crunching his knuckles slightly. "Where's our payment."

Ebony smirked. "Did y'all really think I was gonna pay you for just getting my littl' darlin' here?" He chortled slightly. "Sure she killed two of you but that just shows how pathetic she is. If she _was_ deadly, then she would've killed y'all by now." Turning his back on them, he strode over to Thrax who was painfully trying to get up, the wound on his side opening and spilling its crimson cargo. Crouching down beside him, Ebony smirked, murmuring something into his ear.

"You know how you've put me on a razorblade edge?" He asked, chuckling quietly. "Well you and that damn girl have put me on the edge of being insane but I don't care, alright? Now, you'll hand that girl over and you'll live. However... If you don't, I'll be forced to take drastic measures..." Thrax lay there for a moment before turning towards the dark virus where he spat in his face, smirking himself.

"Why don't you go hang out in the alcohol?" Thrax mocked. "It's toasty warm." At that point Ebony snapped. Jumping to his feet, he lifted his foot to kick the Red Death but before he could swing it, the red virus wasn't there. Roaring, he span around, raking his claws against someone's chest. Seeing one of the large germs, he faltered, watching as the others advanced on him, seemingly to forget about Sharia and their pay. Before he could react, Ebony was underneath a large pile of the germs, screaming in agony as they tore him apart, scattering the limbs across the place. Standing up straight they turned to the tall virus and the white blood cell and the lead one smiled slightly before jumping off the hand and landing on a tray below. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sharia gazed back up at Frank, wondering how they would get back inside. Hearing a whistle from Thrax, she turned as saw him smiling as he jumped into a small cut on his hand. They soon arrived back at home after going to the Uvula to collect Thrax's car.

"Well that's enough excitement for me." Sharia blew out her cheeks.

_Several days later..._

Sharia gazed at the newspaper headline with an open jaw and disbelieving eyes. She read it again to make sure but, as ever, the title was the same.

**NEW VIRUS SUSPECTED IN FRANK**

Sighing, she knocked on Thrax's door, pummelling it with her fist until she heard a grunt on the other side. Slipping the newspaper underneath, she closed her eyes and walked away, calling back over her shoulder:

"We got another one!" Muffled cursing was all that was heard from the other room.


	9. Deleted Scene

On the back of Frank's hand, a torn hand twitched, moving towards a forearm before dragging itself to the upper arm with was connected to a torso. It continued in this way until only the head was missing but already the decapitated body was crawling towards the head that lay on the skin, eyes closed and a grimace on their features. Fitting the head back in place, it took a few seconds for the skin to join again and the person's eyes snapped open, a fire ignited deep within their eyes. Groaning quietly, they got to their feet, swaying slightly until they stopped, their ripped cloak fluttering weakly behind them. Looking down at themselves, they were slightly dismayed as they saw their clothes tattered and shredded, showing dark skin beneath which rippled with muscles. Staggering to their feet, they walked over to the edge of Frank's hand, jumping onto a passing nurse's arm, crawling up until they reached their mouth where they climbed in and flitted along the gum line, a shadow in the dark. Finding a small house near the entrance of the body they had infected, the dark virus strolled in, slitting throats without blinking. Soon, they were sitting in a large black armchair, hands laced behind their head while their legs were crossed, showing how they were totally relaxed.

A tall feminine figure appeared in the doorway, cautiously walking, their long serpentine tail swaying about behind them.

"You're late," Ebony, who had somehow survived, stated, sitting upright.

"On the contrary," The female virus said, flicking their lime green and red hair back. "I came exactly when I wanted to. Besides," She flashed a quick grin at them. "You're not exactly in a hurry." Her voice had an Australian accent to it, adding to her exotic appearance. Ebony looked at her, tilting his head slightly. "After all these years," The she-virus muttered. "You've never bloody changed. Still as quiet and weak as always." Before she could start another sentence, she was suddenly held up in the air by her throat, dangling from Ebony's grip like a ragdoll. Throwing her over his shoulder, he smirked as he heard several ribs crack as she landed against the stairs, crying out in pain. Striding over, he crouched beside her, grinning crazily as he grabbed her ankle and easily threw her against a wall, forcing more screams to bubble up from her throat. Crouching down beside her, Ebony smirked.

"I ain't weak anymore, darlin'" He chuckled, the dark tint of insanity audible. "Now, are you gonna do my job for me or do you want more pain?" Hastily nodding, the female virus managed to get to her feet, stumbling out of the house to the sound of laughter following her mockingly. Ebony walked back to the armchair, settling back down while he turned the TV, watching one of the chef shows that seemed to be eternally on TV. Flicking through the channels, he tilted his head slightly but insane fire danced in his eyes as he saw a report about the female virus having just having infected the middle wall of the heart, the myocardium. Anger bubbling, he stalked out, already heading towards the Uvula to leave the already dying body. Meanwhile, the female virus was already at the hand, having exited out of a cut, she was walking to the finger tip, grinning as she saw the person about to shake hands with another person. Hopping onto the other hand, she entered their body, not realising that she was entering the very body that Ebony had wanted her to go in...


End file.
